French Horn Rebellion: Band geeks run amok

Published 1:53 pm, Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Robert Perlick-Molinari (left) and brother David are the hub of French Horn Rebellion.

Robert Perlick-Molinari (left) and brother David are the hub of French Horn Rebellion.

Photo: Courtesy Of French Horn Rebellio

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French Horn Rebellion at play. (David Perlick Molinari has curly hair. His
brother Robert has wavy hair.)

French Horn Rebellion at play. (David Perlick Molinari has curly hair. His
brother Robert has wavy hair.)

Photo: Courtesy Of French Horn Rebellio

Image 3 of 5

French Horn Rebellion at play. (David Perlick Molinari has curly hair. His
brother Robert has wavy hair.)

French Horn Rebellion at play. (David Perlick Molinari has curly hair. His
brother Robert has wavy hair.)

Photo: Courtesy Of French Horn Rebellio

Image 4 of 5

French Horn Rebellion at play. (David Perlick Molinari has curly hair. His
brother Robert has wavy hair.)

French Horn Rebellion at play. (David Perlick Molinari has curly hair. His
brother Robert has wavy hair.)

Photo: Courtesy Of French Horn Rebellio

Image 5 of 5

French Horn Rebellion at play. (David Perlick Molinari has curly hair. His
brother Robert has wavy hair.)

French Horn Rebellion at play. (David Perlick Molinari has curly hair. His
brother Robert has wavy hair.)

Photo: Courtesy Of French Horn Rebellio

French Horn Rebellion: Band geeks run amok

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Is it live or is it, if not Memorex, then a recording by Brooklyn brotherly duo French Horn Rebellion?

The difference can be found at the shows when, as Robert Perlick-Molinari puts it, in the van on the road to the D.C. burbs, "I play French horn really, really loud. That's the number one thing, live. We're running around and ripping off Jimi Hendrix solos on French horn."

Call it the sound of band geeks run amok - spreading dancing and merrymaking as they go. Just don't call Perlick-Molinari, 27, and producer sibling David, 31, late to the party.

Their project seems set on blowing minds, along with those critical horns, these days, what with the singles the two have been generating regularly since 2011 - attuned to a funkier, bassier vibe they label "Next Jack Swing" and soon to be compiled as their second album - and production collaborations with outfits like the Knocks and Ghost Beach centered at their YouTooCanWoo studio in Brooklyn.

The 2011 debut, "The Infinite Music of French Horn Rebellion," which Robert describes as a "dance opera," hints at some of the Milwaukee-bred brothers' ambition. The jacked-up, blissed-out swinging starts with the sweetest synth washes before rolling out the buzzy, elastic party beats, breaking into suave downtempo and slipping in some infectious, unaffected Parliament-style funk-rock.

The duo's joyride kicked off around college. Robert seemed well on his way to a career as a professional French horn player, progressing from first horn in youth orchestra to Chicago Civic Orchestra, until he visited David in New York, where he was attending college, doing music production and getting ready to work with a band called MGMT.

"That's when the wheels started turning, that you can make music the way you want to make music," Robert says. He returned to Northwestern determined to start a band. David seemed like a natural fit for his group, though today, Robert concedes, his brother is "the ultimate geek-nerd man. He is no longer on the road with us. He likes to be in his beat lab, trying to facilitate the creative hub we're trying to cultivate in Williamsburg."

So while French Horn Rebellion's Band Geeks Gone Wild website does its small part to stir up humble players everywhere, it's up to Robert to ignite the fires onstage, along with drummer Jake St. John, bassist Zach Abramson and vocalist Bianca Karina Montalvo.

After all, he explains, "I equate orchestra players with middle-class workers. You play the music on the page, listen to the conductor and go home, and I think orchestra players aren't appreciated, much like the working man. That's why it's a rebellion: Working guys, rebel."

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